Vineyards.

From: The New Topical Textbook By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 2 min. read • grade level: 10

Origin and antiquity of. Gen. 9:20²⁰And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: (Genesis 9:20).

The design of planting. Psa. 107:37³⁷And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. (Psalm 107:37). 1 Cor. 9:7⁷Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? (1 Corinthians 9:7).

Frequently walled or fenced with hedges. Num. 22:24²⁴But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. (Numbers 22:24). Prov. 24:31³¹And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. (Proverbs 24:31). Isa. 5:2, 5²And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. (Isaiah 5:2)
⁵And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: (Isaiah 5:5).

Cottages built in, for the keepers. Isa. 1:8⁸And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. (Isaiah 1:8).

Provided with the apparatus for making wine. Isa. 5:2²And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. (Isaiah 5:2). Matt. 21:33³³Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: (Matthew 21:33).

The stones carefully gathered out of. Isa. 5:2²And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. (Isaiah 5:2).

LAWS RESPECTING

Not to be planted with different kinds of seed. Deut. 22:9⁹Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. (Deuteronomy 22:9).

Not to be cultivated during the sabbatical year. Ex. 23:11¹¹But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. (Exodus 23:11). Lev. 25:4⁴But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (Leviticus 25:4).

The spontaneous fruit of, not to be gathered the sabbatical or jubilee year. Lev. 25:5, 11⁵That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. (Leviticus 25:5)
¹¹A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. (Leviticus 25:11). Compensation in kind to be made for injury done to. Ex. 22:5⁵If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. (Exodus 22:5).

Strangers entering, allowed to eat fruit of, but not to take any away. Deut. 23:24²⁴When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. (Deuteronomy 23:24).

The gleaning of, to be left for the poor. Lev. 19:10¹⁰And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:10). Deut. 24:21²¹When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. (Deuteronomy 24:21).

The fruit of new, not to be eaten for three years. Lev. 19:23²³And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. (Leviticus 19:23).

The fruit of new, to be holy to the Lord in the fourth year. Lev. 19:24²⁴But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal. (Leviticus 19:24).

The fruit of new, to be eaten by the owners from the fifth year. Lev. 19:25²⁵And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:25).

Planters of, not liable to military service till they had eaten of the fruit. Deut. 20:6⁶And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. (Deuteronomy 20:6).

Frequently let out to husbandmen. SoS. 8:11. Matt. 21:33³³Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: (Matthew 21:33).

Rent of, frequently paid by part of the fruit. Matt. 21:34³⁴And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. (Matthew 21:34).

Were often mortgaged. Neh. 5:3, 4³Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. ⁴There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. (Nehemiah 5:3‑4).

Estimated rent of. SoS. 8:11. Isa. 7:23²³And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns. (Isaiah 7:23).

Estimated profit arising from, to the cultivators. SoS. 8:12.

The poor engaged in the culture of. 2 Kin. 25:12. Isa. 61:5⁵And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. (Isaiah 61:5).

Members of the family often wrought in. SoS. 1:6. Matt. 21:28-30²⁸But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. ²⁹He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. ³⁰And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. (Matthew 21:28‑30).

Mode of hiring and paying laborers for working in. Matt. 20:1, 2¹For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. ²And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. (Matthew 20:1‑2).

Of the kings of Israel superintended by officers of state. 1 Chron. 27:27²⁷And over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite: (1 Chronicles 27:27).

THE VINTAGE OR IN GATHERING OF

Was a time of great rejoicing. Isa. 16:10¹⁰And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. (Isaiah 16:10).

Sometimes continued to the time of sowing seed. Lev. 26:5⁵And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. (Leviticus 26:5).

Failure in, occasioned great grief. Isa. 16:9, 10⁹Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. ¹⁰And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. (Isaiah 16:9‑10).

Of red grapes particularly esteemed. Isa. 27:2²In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. (Isaiah 27:2).

The produce of, was frequently destroyed by enemies. Jer. 48:32³²O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage. (Jeremiah 48:32).

The whole produce of, often destroyed by insects, &c. Deut. 28:39³⁹Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. (Deuteronomy 28:39). Amos 4:9⁹I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. (Amos 4:9).

In unfavorable seasons produced but little wine. Isa. 5:10¹⁰Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. (Isaiah 5:10). Hag. 1:9, 11⁹Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. (Haggai 1:9)
¹¹And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. (Haggai 1:11).

The wicked judicially deprived of the enjoyment of. Amos 5:11¹¹Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. (Amos 5:11). Zeph. 1:13¹³Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. (Zephaniah 1:13).

The Rechabites forbidden to plant. Jer. 35:7-9⁷Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. ⁸Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; ⁹Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: (Jeremiah 35:7‑9).

Of the slothful man neglected and laid waste. Prov. 24:30, 31³⁰I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; ³¹And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. (Proverbs 24:30‑31)

ILLUSTRATIVE

Of the Jewish Church. Isa. 5:7⁷For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. (Isaiah 5:7). Isa. 27:2²In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. (Isaiah 27:2). Jer. 12:10¹⁰Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. (Jeremiah 12:10). Matt. 21:23²³And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? (Matthew 21:23).

(Failure of,) of severe calamities. Isa. 32:10¹⁰Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. (Isaiah 32:10).

(Cleaning grapes of,) of the elect. Isa. 24:13¹³When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. (Isaiah 24:13).

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